


Forgiveness

by TitansRule



Series: Trials and Tribulations [5]
Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood Drinking, F/M, Reconciliation, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-24
Updated: 2013-06-24
Packaged: 2017-12-16 01:49:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/856401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitansRule/pseuds/TitansRule
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unfiltered version of Damon and Katherine's 'reconciliation' in Transition, although you don't need to read that to get this. Katherine's finally admitted the truth about her love for Damon, but how will he respond? Full summary/background inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forgiveness

**Author's Note:**

> The first and last parts of this story are taken from chapters eight and nine of Transition, so if you think they sound familiar, that's why.  
> This is set about five days after the Season 3 finale, and Damon took Elena out of town (as her best friend, NOT any kind of romantic interest) to the Salvatore lakehouse to teach her how to feed. Katherine turned up the next day offering unexpected help, which Elena accepted, and earlier in the evening, Damon and Katherine took Elena hunting so she could learn to feed from the vein.  
> Upon returning, Katherine inadvertently let slip to Elena that maybe she hadn't been entirely honest about her feelings and Elena confronted her, getting Katherine to admit that it was Damon she was in love with, not Stefan.  
> Damon overheard them and, now Stefan and Elena have left the house to talk, it's time for Damon and Katherine to have a little chat of their own ...

“You’re not going to run again.” Damon stated.

“No, I’m not.” Katherine agreed, standing. “I agreed that I owe you the truth, and that’s exactly what you’ll get.” She took a deep breath. “My humanity was off when I met you. To start with, I didn’t care what I did, who I hurt. It had been off for three hundred years, and I wasn’t about to start feeling again … but you got under my skin and into my head and into my heart, and before I knew what was happening, I’d fallen in love with you, and I’d flipped the switch.”

“And Stefan?” Damon asked, approaching her.

His approach was slow, predatory, and she backed up at the same pace. “I loved him, Damon. I cared about him. Much like Elena cares about you. I was too selfish to lose him, so I pretended I loved him like he loved me.”

“You turned him.” Damon pointed out.

“I didn’t want to lose him.” Katherine repeated. “And I could never condemn you to an eternity without your brother.”

Damon snorted. “That backfired, didn’t it?”

Katherine’s eyes flashed. “You can blame me for a lot, Damon, but not that. I did not make you turn your back on him.”

In a blur of movement, her back collided with the wall and his face was inches from hers. “Do you know _why_ I turned my back on him, Katherine?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Because he made me transition.”

“He made you …” Katherine stared at him in confusion. “But … you wanted to turn, Damon.”

“Because I wanted to be with you!” Damon bit out. “I thought you were _dead_ , Katherine; I couldn’t fathom life without you, I wanted to _die_!” He lowered his voice. “Do go on, Katherine. You were about to tell me why you faked your death and didn’t bother telling me.”

“Klaus would have killed you.” Katherine whispered, her face deathly-white. “I was being selfish – so selfish – I was dragging you into a fight you couldn’t hope to win and … I was trying to protect you, Damon. That’s why I lied when I came back to Mystic Falls.”

“So why not say all this five days ago?” Damon asked. “Klaus has gone now. We’re both safe.”

“I …” Katherine closed her eyes. “It’s going to sound selfish.”

Damon let out a bark of laughter. “That’s to be expected with you, sweetheart.” The endearment sounded bitter and sarcastic, and she flinched at the sound.

“I’m scared.” She confessed, almost inaudibly if it weren’t for his vampire senses. “I’m scared of making myself vulnerable …”

“Of getting hurt.” Damon finished softly. “Did it ever occur to you,” he murmured, running a finger down her cheek, “that you ripped my heart out without a second thought earlier this year?”

“Yes.” Katherine muttered. “That’s why I’m scared. That’s the other reason I didn’t tell you. You deserve closure, you deserve _better_. I wasn’t going to say anything – help Elena and then disappear, and you’d never have to deal with me again.” She lifted her head with more confidence than she felt. “But now you know.”

“Yes, I do.” Damon said darkly. “I should walk away. Let you go. Make you leave, tell you I never want to see you again. Trusting you, Katherine, is like handling a grenade; you never know when it’s gonna blow up in your face.” He sighed, resting his forehead against hers. “But I can’t. I never stopped loving you, Katherine.”

She lifted her hand, but before she could touch him, he pulled away.

“So here’s what we’re going to do.” He said firmly. “I’m going to go upstairs, and you are going to make a choice. If you leave, I will pretend this conversation never happened. I won’t use it against you. But I never want to see you again. If you stay and follow me, I will do what I said I would do when you first came back to Mystic Falls. I’ll forget everything that’s happened, all the years I spent searching for you, all the betrayal – everything. But you will have to understand, Katherine, that I don’t do things by halves. If you stay, you are mine for eternity, because I _don’t let go_.”

Katherine didn’t move as he left the room and went upstairs. She wasn’t sure her legs would support her just yet.

She knew that Damon thought he had changed since becoming a vampire, but she didn’t. The man he was now had always been there, hidden behind the sweet, innocent boy she’d fallen in love with. In 1864, he didn’t appear much, now he was a constant presence.

He had given her a gift – the gift of choice – but there was none.

Katherine Pierce was sick and tired of running.

Steadying herself, she followed his path up the stairs to his bedroom, her undead heart pounding with each step.

The room was empty when she walked in, and she frowned slightly, wondering if she had misjudged his destination.

Then the door clicked shut behind her and she felt his hand run down her spine. His touch sent shivers running through her, and her head fell back, resting on his shoulder as his hard body pressed against hers.

“You, of all people, should know the foolishness of baring your neck to a vampire.” Damon murmured, his breath ghosting over her skin.

Katherine’s stomach clenched, and she reluctantly stepped away, turning to face him. His eyes seemed sharper than ever, boring into hers, and she swallowed hard. “Do you remember the night I first fed from you?” She asked huskily.

Damon tilted his head slightly. “How could I forget?”

“You began to say that I wasn’t truly yours.” Katherine continued. “I was.” She said, before he could respond. “I am.” She swept her hair from her neck and tilted her head back, in a gesture of trust that scared her, even as she did it. “I always will be.”

Damon rested his hands on his waist, hesitating over her for just a second, before his fangs sunk into her skin.

Katherine’s legs buckled almost immediately, Damon’s arm snaking around her waist to keep her upright. She had been fed from before as a vampire, but it hadn’t felt like this, and she had dismissed Pearl’s stories about blood-sharing being intimately personal as romanticised myth.

There was nothing mythical about this.

He pulled away, her blood coating his lips, gasping for breath. “Guess the rumours about blood-sharing are true.”

“Guess so.” Katherine whispered, her eyes lingering on his lips, feeling the wound on her neck close over.

Damon took her face in his hands, his eyes searching hers. “Say it, Katherine. I need to hear it.”

Katherine smiled slightly. “Damon Salvatore, I am completely in love with you.”

“It’s about fucking time.” Damon muttered, his mouth crashing onto hers. His hands grasped her waist, hoisting her into his arms.

Her legs wrapped around him and she threaded her fingers into his hair, anchoring them together. A second later, her back collided with the wall and she broke the kiss with a gasp, giving him the chance to trail kisses down her neck.

In 1864, Damon had been gentle and pliant in her hands, but a lot had changed since then. They had been in this situation since her return, but it still surprised her when he took control like this.

The humanity she fell in love with might still be present, lurking behind his eyes, evident in certain gestures, certain words, but she had always known he had the potential to be more, and now he _was_ more: dark … demanding … dominating …

He consumed her.

She began to undo his shirt, giving up on patience and ripping it open, letting her hands roam over the planes of his chest, raking her nails over his skin, not quite drawing blood.

Damon growled against her neck and tore her shirt from her body, dropping the remains on the floor. His fangs scraped against her, not biting, but sending shivers of pleasure racing through her body.

“Damon …”

His name transformed into a wordless moan halfway through, when his body pushed against hers even harder, his rock-hard erection pressing against her, grinding against her core.

Her heels dug into his ass, craving the contact. They had been interrupted, time and time again, and when he pulled away from her, a whimper tore from her throat against her will, eliciting an arrogant smirk.

“Slow down, baby.” He drawled. “We’ve got all night. Patience is a virtue, remember.”

A smirk spread across Katherine’s face. “I’m not virtuous, Damon. I don’t think I ever was.” She dropped her feet to the floor, breaking the almost intoxicating contact, pushed her pants down and kicked them away, before sliding down the wall to kneel before him, eye level with the bulge in his pants.

Licking her lips seductively, she undid the button on his pants, pulling the zip down torturously slowly, and tugged them down his legs, her smirk widening as his erection sprung free.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you to put on underwear?”

Damon ran a hand over her head, his fingers winding into her hair. “Yeah, but she also taught me not to let a lady go around shirtless. Then again …” His fingers contracted. “You’re no lady.”

“See, you _do_ get me.” Katherine purred, her tongue darting out to taste him.

In the past, Katherine had _always_ been in control, with any of her lovers, not just Damon. Blow jobs worked on a reward basis, and never in any position that assumed or suggested her submission.

This, however, was not just sex.

It would not be enough just to prove to Damon that she loved him – she was his, and she needed him to know that.

And the easiest way she knew of to do that was …

“Tell me what you want.” She whispered, running her tongue up and down the underside of his cock.

“I want you to suck me.” He said hoarsely. “Take me all the way down your throat until you fucking choke on it.”

Obediently, Katherine engulfed his head in her mouth, keeping her eyes locked with his. His hard length slipped past her lips, filling her mouth, until it bumped against the back of her throat.

He groaned, unable to help thrusting into her mouth, and she stilled her head, letting him use her roughly, taking advantage of her willingness.

After a few seconds, he stopped, letting his cock fall from her lips. “I want you, Katherine.”

Katherine tilted her head slightly. “You have me, Damon. I’m on my knees in front of you.”

“Katherine, submission doesn’t suit you.” Damon murmured, stroking her hair. “Not to this extent.”

“And here I thought you liked the control.” Katherine remarked.

“Oh, I do.” Damon conceded. “But there’s control, and then there’s fucking a rag-doll. See?”

“I do see.”  Katherine purred, her hand stroking him rhythmically. “Let’s try this again, shall we?” She took him in her mouth again, her hands gripping his hips to keep them still, her lips and tongue teasing him and coaxing him almost to the edge time and time again, until his hands gripped her hair with force that would leave a mortal woman screaming.

As it was, she released him with a groan, letting his cock bump against her lips and cheek, trailing pre-cum along her olive skin.

“Fuck, Katherine …”

“That’s the idea.” She said with a mischievous smile, straightening up and twisting out of the small gap between his body and the wall.

His eyes tracked her across the room, her body moving with easy seduction. She said she hadn’t been planning this – and he was inclined to believe her, if for no other reason than her lingerie.

It was plain white – silk, as he would expect from Katherine, but with no frills or lace or tantalising sexiness that he would expect if she had been planning on something like this happening.

In fact, for Katherine, it was almost innocent, and the sight made him even harder, knowing as he did just how not-innocent she was.

Dropping her gaze almost demurely, Katherine unfastened her bra, letting the straps slide down her arms before pulling it away from her body. “No fucking a ragdoll. Noted.” She slipped her thumbs into the waistband of her panties, slowly dragging them down over her thighs. “Trust me, I’ll give as good as I get.” The silk hit the ground with a soft noise, and she widened her stance slightly, just enough for him to see the wetness that coated her inner thighs. “But I’m yours. I need you to know that.”

“Oh, I do.” Damon said, approaching her with a smirk. “And by the end of tonight, you will never forget it again.” Cupping the back of her neck, he tilted her head back, his lips hovering over hers. “But right now … my dear … I want you to finish what you started.”

Running a hand down his body, Katherine grasped his cock firmly, stroking it rhythmically. “And what might that be?”

With a frustrated growl, Damon pushed her back down to her knees, and Katherine chuckled, before taking him in her mouth again. The area between her legs throbbed desperately, but she forced herself to be patient. Vampires might have supernatural stamina, but he would still need at least some recovery time in between, and at this rate, he wouldn’t last two seconds inside her.

Patience was hard though – no pun intended. She had forgotten – or forced herself to forget – how he touched her and teased her and fucked her, even back in 1864, when he had next to no experience, especially compared to her.

But now, it was all rushing back to her.

And patience had never been one of Katherine’s strong points.

Luckily for her, she didn’t have to be patient for very long. Letting his cock slide down her throat, she slid one hand back to cradle his balls, rubbing them gently, pushing one finger up to massage just behind them.

Her name echoed off of the walls amid a pleasured moan, and she smirked triumphantly, as his sweet salty cum splashed down her throat.

She swallowed eagerly, reacquainting herself with his taste, so much like his blood – not quite that incredible, but pretty damn close.

Grateful that she didn’t have to breathe, she cleaned him tenderly with her lips and tongue, trailing kisses back up his body until their mouths collided again.

“Better?”

Damon nipped at her throat with blunt teeth. “Much. Now …” His hands gripped her waist tight enough to leave marks if she was human, lifting her and throwing her on to his bed.

He was on her a split second later, his body pressing her into the mattress, his mouth seared to hers once more.

His weight directly on top of her should have been uncomfortable, but she merely found it wonderfully possessive – and possessive was not a trait Katherine usually relished in men.

She belonged to no one … but then Damon was different.

He had always been different.

She arched into him, needing him closer, if that was even possible, but he broke their kiss, pinning her wrists to the bed.

“Now, now, Katherine,” he said, his eyes glinting, “be a good girl and stay still, or I’ll have to make you.”

Katherine pouted, but relaxed her body, settling down into the mattress. She could easily fight him off, but for the time being, she relented, eager to know what he had up his sleeve.

“That’s better.” His fingers traced a line from her neck to her naval, his eyes roaming over her greedily. “I’d forgotten how fucking incredible your body is ...”

Katherine bit her lip as he peppered kisses over her breasts until she was squirming, desperate for him to focus his attention. Finally, his hand covered her left breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers, as his mouth closed around the other, tugging at it gently.

Letting out a groan, Katherine slid her hands into his hair, but his free hand removed them, pinning them both to the bed again.

“I told you to stay still.” Damon growled against her skin.

“Sorry, baby.” Katherine cooed. “You just feel so good.”

Damon smirked at her. “You think that’s going to work.”

Katherine flashed him a smile. “I’m hoping.”

Damon shook his head, releasing her wrists. “Now don’t move, and you’ll get what you want.”

“How do you know what I want?” Katherine shot back.

Damon’s hand left her breast to caress her cheek. “I think you want me to lick and suck that dripping wet pussy until you scream my name.”

Katherine’s eyes fluttered closed as they threatened to roll back into her head, her thighs quivering with anticipation. “Oh God …”

Damon’s mouth travelled down her body, not touching her, emitting soft puffs of cool air across her burning skin. “Is that what you want, Katherine?” He asked, as he settled between her legs, hands pushing her thighs even wider.

“Yes …” Katherine hissed, trying to buck her hips towards him.

“Yes what?” Damon asked, sounding amused. “Use your words, Katherine. And keep those hands where they are.” He added sharply, pre-empting her movement.

Katherine narrowed her eyes, trying to decide whether playing along would be worth it, or if she should just take control and sink down onto his cock, now rock-hard again. Her body ached to have him inside her again, and it would be less humiliating than begging him to touch her (okay, she wanted to prove she was his, but she had limits, dammit!).

However, his fingertips gently stroking her inner thighs caused her body to betray her, and she shuddered, remembering how good he had been as a human. Theoretically, with nearly 150 years’ worth of experience, he should be even better now.

Even with no improvement, it was worth it.

Teeth clamping down on her lower lip, she let out a little moan. “Damon …”

“Tell me what you want, Katherine.” Damon coaxed. “You’re so wet …”

“I want you to touch me.” Katherine whimpered. “I want your mouth on me, Damon … Mmm, want you so badly … need you … please …”

It may have been more in her nature to be the aggressor in bed, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t play the opposite role when the occasion called for it.

And she wasn’t lying.

Thankfully, this seemed to satisfy him, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her folds, lapping softly at her centre.

Katherine gasped sharply, her fingers gripping the sheets tight enough to rip them, but Damon’s tender touch didn’t last long. It morphed slowly into something hot and desperate, devouring her like her juices were as essential to his existence as the blood he craved.

His fangs scraped her clit, and she arched up into his mouth with a small cry. His lips wrapped around the small nub and teased it as his hands stilled her hips, one sliding down to stroke her soft lips, one finger slipping inside her.

One swiftly became two, then three, her body wet and responsive enough that they slid in without any resistance.

His fingers thrust in and out of her, his lips and tongue skilfully manipulating her clit, winding her tighter and tighter, until she teetered on the edge, gasping his name.

He paused, withdrawing his fingers and lifting his head to smirk at her, and she glared at him. “I swear to God, Damon, if you try to make me beg for this, I will take things into my own hands.”

“You make that sound like a deterrent.” Damon quipped, his fingertips circling her entrance. “But since you asked so nicely …”

His fingers thrust back inside her, closing his mouth around her clit and sucking hard, his tongue flicking against it repeatedly, and she fell apart under his touch, somehow managing to bite back her cries of ecstasy until they were soft moans.

Tenderly, Damon eased her down from her high and lifted his head. “You don’t have to hold back, Katherine. I’m a little hurt you can.”

“Old habits …” Katherine said breathlessly. “Nothing personal. You’re still _very_ good at that.”

“We aim to please.” Damon drawled with an arrogant smirk, massaging her thighs.  “Speaking of pleasing,” he murmured, kissing his way back up her body, “I want to be inside you.”

Katherine groaned, feeling his cock brush against her still-sensitive centre. “God yes …” Hooking one leg over his hip, she flipped them over, intending to take his hard member inside her and ride him to completion, memories sparking anticipatory shivers through her body, even so soon after her climax.

But Damon wasn’t human anymore, and while she still had the advantage of age, his speed and reflexes could equal hers when he set his mind to it.

And right now, he had. She wound up on her knees, but he wasn’t beneath her. His chest pressed against her back, an arm looping around her waist to keep her there.

Damon’s smirk was audible in his voice. “Nice try, beautiful. But we’re doing this my way tonight.”

“Damon …” Katherine said warningly.

“What?” Damon asked, almost innocently if it weren’t for the way that his erection bumped against her ass. “Don’t you trust me?”

“I do.” Katherine conceded through gritted teeth, her head falling back against his shoulder. “But this …”

“I know.” Damon murmured. “You like control, Katherine, so you must hate this position. But you also like being controlled.”

“I do not.” Katherine protested.

“Right.” Damon drawled. “This is all for my sake.” He chuckled into her shoulder. “Liar.”

“I don’t like being controlled.” Katherine insisted, her words breaking slightly.

“Just by me then.” Damon whispered, one hand creeping between her legs again, touching her, but not moving. When he spoke again, his voice was deeper and more forceful. “Lean forwards, Katherine, on your hands and knees, and spread those legs for me.”

Katherine closed her eyes as his tone sent another shot of heat between her legs, and she knew he felt it.

“You’re dripping for me.” Damon hissed, one hand on her back gently guiding her forwards. “You love it, Katherine; admit it.”

“Just with you.” Katherine gasped out, finally following his instructions, looking back over her shoulder at him.

“Only me.” Damon reiterated. His hands grasped her hips, and he finally slid his cock inside her in one smooth movement.

Her head dropped and she moaned aloud at the feeling of him finally – finally – filling her again.

He wasn’t obscenely big (although he was certainly gifted in that area) and she wasn’t ridiculously tight (nor should she have been, after his earlier attention), but he had always fit inside her so perfectly that, in the dead of night and sentimental moments, Katherine had allowed herself to wonder if they were made for each other.

Damon gathered up her hair in one hand, wrapping it around his fingers once, twice, and tugged, pulling her head back, and she glanced back at him.

He had allowed his true face to emerge, and she responded in kind, blood creeping into her eyes, veins beginning to pop in her face, her fangs extending as she gasped for breath she no longer needed.

“Fuck me!” She demanded, pushing her hips back into his.

Damon didn’t argue, setting a fierce and steady pace. There would be time, later, for a soft and gentle reunion, but neither was in the mood for anything other than fast, frantic and rough. Needing – wanting – more leverage, Katherine’s hands moved to grip the iron headboard, lifting her upper body slightly.

Moans mingled with expletives fell from their lips as their bodies exalted at being joined once again. Damon’s lips travelled over her back, his fangs scraping her skin, and she moaned, one hand snaking down between her legs to rub her clit.

His hand caught it with a growl before she could. “No.” He returned her hand to the headboard and slid his own hand down to complete the action for her.

Katherine bucked into his touch, her back arching, and his other hand gripped her waist, his mouth trailing up to her ear.

“You’re mine.” He whispered, circling her clit with tenderness that sharply contrasted with the way he pounded into her.

Katherine’s hands were gripping the headboard tightly enough to splinter it. “Yes …”

“Say it!” Damon commanded.

“I’m yours!” Katherine gasped out, meeting him thrust for thrust. “Fuck, Damon … Fuck, you so …”

“You gonna cum for me?” Damon asked, biting at her neck with blunt teeth. “You gonna scream for me?” He groaned, feeling her flex around him. “Wanna hear you, Katherine … hear you cum for me …”

Katherine spread her legs wider, and pushed back against his chest, this time ignoring his attempts to keep her where she was. She ended straddling his lap, although still facing away from him, plunging down onto his cock over and over again, one hand joining his at her clit. The other hand threaded into his hair, pressing his mouth to her neck. “Bite me!”

His fangs sunk into her throat and she cried out, teetering on the edge of her climax, her hips rotating with every downward thrust, desperately searching for that one last push.

It came when Damon, still feeding, released her waist and brought his arm to her parted lips, gently grazing her fangs, and she took the unspoken invitation, biting down and drinking deeply.

If she had thought his blood tasted intoxicating as a human, it was nothing compared to how it tasted now. Something akin to ambrosia flooded her mouth, the dual sensation of his blood entering her body and hers leaving it sent her tumbling into ecstasy, and she released his wrist to scream her release, his name echoing around the room, swiftly followed by hers when he followed suit, spilling inside her.

They collapsed on to the mattress and Katherine rolled to face him, a lazy smile spreading across her face. “Fuck, I’d forgotten how good you are at that.”

Damon smirked at her. “You made the choice to miss out.”

Katherine grimaced. “Yeah, I know.”

Damon’s smirk softened into a smile, and he kissed her forehead, a bizarrely chaste action after what had just occurred, but didn’t say anything.

Katherine rested her head on his chest, one hand linking with his. “I love you, Damon.”

For a few minutes, they lay in silence, neither of them sleeping, but readjusting to each other’s presence.

Katherine couldn’t help remembering what Damon had said earlier that evening. _“Trouble with that, Katherine, is since those ‘old times’, you’ve tried to kill me.”_ At the time, she hadn’t argued, but now …

“I never tried to kill you.”

Katherine’s words, though quiet, seemed to echo in the silent room.

“I could make a list.” Damon said drowsily, stroking her hair.

They were both fairly relaxed now, lying in each other’s arms, her body melding against his as though she’d never been away.

“Go on then.” Katherine challenged, without any real heat. “1864 doesn’t count – you wanted me to turn you.”

“Yeah, about that.” Damon said, looking down at her. “Why turn us if you were going to run?”

“I wasn’t planning on running.” Katherine admitted. “Not until Klaus sent me that dream …”

“He warned you?” Damon asked.

“We’re predators, Damon.” Katherine reminded him. “We live for the hunt; it’s often as exciting as the kill.”

“That sounds familiar.” Damon muttered. “I’m fairly sure Stefan said those exact words to Elena once.”

“Oh, so he did listen.” Katherine remarked. “Good to know. Looking back, I don’t think Klaus was planning on catching me any time soon. He just wanted to watch me run scared.”

“He was tormenting you.” Damon concluded darkly. “Wait, that dream wasn’t the one Elena got dragged into the other morning, was it?”

Katherine nodded, turning her face into his bare chest. “It haunted me … seeing you like that … I knew I had to leave you behind, where you’d be safe and where you could live, and grow up, and find someone who wasn’t going to drag you across the globe on a wild goose chase.”

Damon sighed. “I wish you’d told me all this back then, Katherine.” He murmured into her hair. “I would have run anywhere with you.”

“I know.” Katherine whispered. “I … I wasn’t expecting you to die for me.” She felt Damon stiffen against her. “But I should have been.”

“For God’s sake, Katherine,” Damon sighed, “what part of ‘I love you’ didn’t you understand?”

“Damon, you have to understand that I live my life the way I do, because I learned from a very early age that if I didn’t put myself first, no one would.” Katherine said bluntly. “That had always been my reality, and it’s one that you understand, because that’s how you live your life as well.”

Damon stroked her hair rhythmically, thinking about what she’d said. “You’re right.” He said finally. “I do think like that. But I shouldn’t. We shouldn’t.”

“No.” Katherine agreed. “But we do. Anyway, you were about to list the times I tried to kill you.”

“Mason.” Damon complied.

“Mason.” Katherine repeated. “Not me. I told him to distract you, _not_ kill you.”

“Dagger.” Damon said.

Katherine sighed. “Another lie, I’m afraid. You can ask Elena – she confronted me before you did. I had no idea what that dagger did, Damon, I swear.”

“Then why did you say you did?” Damon asked, bewildered.

“It’s going to sound …”

“Selfish.” Damon finished.

“Stupid.” Katherine corrected. “And a bit selfish, yes. Elena asked me if I knew what the dagger did … you just assumed I knew. It … It hurt that you thought I’d just let you die.”

“So you lied to hurt me?” Damon concluded.

“Yes.” Katherine admitted softly. “I lied a _lot_ while I was there. Everything about John and Isobel was true, but … they threatened you, not Stefan.”

“All to protect yourself.” Damon finished with a sigh. “I get it, Katherine, but …”

“I know.” Katherine interrupted. “Believe me, I know, Damon. Do you think you can ever forgive me?”

“I said I would.” Damon answered.

Katherine grimaced. “I know what you said, Damon. But it’s not gonna be that easy, and it shouldn’t be that easy for you to just forgive and forget.”

“I didn’t say forget, Katherine.” Damon said seriously. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget. And you’re right – it’s going to take time to fully trust you again. But we have time. That’s the beauty of eternity, remember?”

Katherine let out a contented sigh. “I love you.”

Damon tilted her face up to kiss her lips. “I love you too, Katherine.”


End file.
